We use cookies to personalise content, target and report on ads, to provide social media features and to analyse our traffic. For more information see our Cookie Policy.

Myanmar says 47 soldiers killed in clashes with rebels near China

Myanmar newspaper reports military carried out five air strikes against rebels

Fri, Feb 13, 2015, 08:39

Clashes between the Shan State Army (seen above) and the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army in recent weeks are a setback to government efforts to forge a nationwide ceasefire in Myanmar. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images.

Forty-seven Myanmar soldiers have been killed this week in fighting with ethnic minority insurgents near the border with China, the military said in a statement issued on Friday.

The fighting and heavy casualties are a setback for government efforts to forge a nationwide ceasefire and end a patchwork of insurgencies that have tormented Myanmar since shortly after its independence in 1948.